tangled web

tangle up

1. To become tangled. I store each strand of Christmas lights in a separate bag so they don't all tangle up.

2. To entangle or ensnare someone or something in something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "tangle" and "up," and the phrase is often followed by "in (something)." You have so many knots that I can't help but tangle the brush up in your hair unfortunately.Spiders try to tangle up their prey in their webs.

3. To involve or entrap oneself or someone in something, such as an issue, problem, or scandal. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "tangle" and "up," and the phrase is often followed by "in/with (something)." The best politicians choose their battles wisely and avoid becoming too tangled up in petty debates.My brother has tangled me up with a number of lawsuits to keep me from accessing our late father's estate.

tangled up with (someone or something)

Involved, embroiled, or entrapped with someone or something that proves to be awkward, difficult, or troublesome. I don't know why I ever got tangled up with them—they've only gotten me in trouble!His money is all tangled up with some dodgy investment firm.

tangle someone or something up

a tangled web

A tangled web is a situation that is very confused and difficult to understand. This is only one of a series of troubling questions that are emerging from the tangled web of evidence connected to the case.It is sometimes difficult to cut through the tangled web of government information in order to work out the benefits you can claim.

tangle up

v.

1. To mix something together or intertwine it in a confused mass; snarl something: I accidentally tangled that rope up with the others. You've tangled up all the paper clips and now I can't separate them. The telephone cord is tangled up in a knot.

2. To catch and hold something in or as if in a net; entrap something: The children tangled the kite up in the branches. I tangled up the fishing lure as I was pulling it through the weeds. A dolphin became tangled up in the fishing net.

3. To involve someone in awkward or unsavory circumstances. Used chiefly in the passive: How did a good kid like you get tangled up with criminals? No politician would want to be tangled up in this sordid affair.

And though a dark, handsome stranger breaks into her lair and helps her escape Mother Gothel's grip, Tangled is not really a romance but a personal adventure about following your dreams and going out on your own.

I have just been up to Castle Hill with my brother and sister to try and fly our new kite, but we were told by the ranger that kite flying is no longer allowed due to kites being tangled up in the power cables in the surrounding fields

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